Scaling Scrum: Scaling As Just Another Change Initiative
Now that you’re clear on the problem you’re trying to solve by implementing a scaling framework, your organization has built a solid foundation on one-team Scrum, you’ve considered factors relevant to how your organization chooses to scale Scrum, and you’ve communicated a clear and compelling vision for making this change...it’s time to get started scaling! But wait! How do I start?
Implementing a scaling framework is simply another change initiative in the organization, albeit a big one. Approach this change as you would any other by:
Asking for help
Assessing current capabilities
Developing a plan
Executing on the change
Ask For Help
Implementing a scaling framework, regardless of which one you choose, is not something new. This has been done many times before in many organizations, sometimes successfully and sometimes not so much. There is no need for you to go it alone and reinvent the wheel here. Reach out and find help from others who have been there, done that. Start by looking within your organization as there are likely people working with you who already have experience with scaling frameworks and organizational change. Ask questions and learn from their experience.
Chances are that if you’re considering agile at scale, you likely already have some kind of a transformation office or set of agile coaches in the organization. Lean on this group as a starting point to guide the change. Such a group can be an invaluable resource as they not only understand agility, scaling and change, but they also know your organization’s culture. This combination is more likely to lead to a successful scaling implementation than relying solely on external experts.
Beyond your organization, there are many experts, consultants and coaches who specialize in helping organizations deliver effectively at scale. Find a few of these types and engage in preliminary conversations to determine who is a good fit for your culture and goals. Some consultants promote just one scaling framework and others take a more organic / agnostic approach to scaling. Determining which approach makes the most sense for your organization will help you partner with the right consultant.
Assess Current Capabilities
One of the more popular change management frameworks of recent decades is ADKAR by Prosci. ADKAR is an acronym that stands for: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement.
It’s a very effective framework for guiding change and can also be used to assess where an organization is at in terms of being ready to move forward with a change. Simply start at the top and ask questions at each successive stage of the ADKAR framework relative to the desired change.
Awareness - do we understand the need for and the nature of the change?
Desire - is the organization supportive of the change and ready to participate in making the change successful?
Knowledge - do we know how to change? To what degree do we need to equip the organization with new skills and behaviours?
Ability - do we have what we need to implement the change and monitor progress and performance?
Reinforcement - what behaviours and structures are needed to sustain the change?
As I’m sure you’ve already read Part 1 in our blog series on scaling, you’re at least past the Awareness stage and ready to move forward with Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement.
Develop a Plan
Dwight D. Eisenhower is credited with saying something to the effect of, “Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” This principle holds true when planning out a scaling implementation. You must make a plan. Think through how to roll-out the change, who needs to be involved, how long it might take (longer than you think!), what resources are needed, etc. The key here in creating your plan is to do so understanding that it will change the moment it’s written down, so flexibility needs to be built into the change plan.
One of the best ways that I know to provide flexibility in any plan is to approach it as an agile initiative. Leverage what your organization is already good at, one-team Scrum, and create a Product Backlog for the change, run the change in a series of sprints, each with their own goals, feedback loops and measures of success. Most importantly, have a dedicated team whose job it is to work on the Product Backlog Items for this initiative. Take the time to reflect, inspect and adapt your approach to the scaling implementation at the end of each sprint, considering the feedback of the change team as well as others in the organization who are impacted by the change. Nothing says you’re listening more than...well, listening and making changes based on the feedback received.
Execute on Your Plan
According to “Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change” by Joseph Grenny et al, successfully executing on a change initiative requires setting people up for success in terms of their motivation and ability in three specific arenas: Personal, Social, and Structural.
Personal
Motivation: Help them love what they hate
Ability: Help them do what they can’t
Social
Motivation: Provide Encouragement
Ability: Provide Assistance
Structural
Motivation: Change their Economy
Ability: Change their Space
Following the steps in your change plan is not enough. You must provide support to the people in your organization so that they:
Are personally motivated and have the necessary skills to engage in the change
Receive encouragement and support from those around them to work through challenges and celebrate successes
Are supported by structures designed to create the new skills and behaviours necessary for the change to be successful
In the Personal arena, support your people by providing that clear and compelling vision for the change (motivation) and equipping them to be successful with the change through training and coaching (ability). Socially, recognize what is working well, encourage people to appreciate each other’s efforts and be the first to offer help when needed. Lastly, setup the structures necessary to support the new skills and behaviours required for the change to be successful. This may include rewards and incentives as well as changing the physical (or virtual) space that people work under.
But Which Scaling Framework Should I Use?
Notice I didn’t say anything about choosing a particular scaling framework. This is something that will emerge as you progress through the change approach described in this blog. Having a few candidate frameworks in mind at the start of this process can be helpful, but don’t paint yourself into a corner by selecting a scaling framework prematurely. Go through the change process and see which scaling frameworks (or parts of frameworks) stick and which ones fall to the wayside. Doing so will increase the likelihood of a successful implementation.
Stay tuned for the last blog in this series as we analyze the major agile scaling frameworks in use today.
References
Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change, Second Edition by Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler